Advent Series December 19

JMJ

December 19

So the Assyrians conquered the kingdom of Israel and the 10 tribes became known as the “Lost Tribes of Israel”.

For many years the Assyrians were the strongest nation in the world. Their capital city was Ninive. The Assyrians spent their time fighting wars and destroying other countries.

In 650 B.C. , about 70 years after Israel was overrun, the Assyrian king told his general, Holofernes to take over the kingdoms of the west, and destroy all other gods so that he might be the god of the world.

Holophernes led an army of 120 000 soldiers, and 12 000 archers and horsemen as well as flocks of sheep and countless camels and provisions so that they covered the earth like locusts. (Jud 2:11)

The Assyrians wreaked havoc and destruction. They killed men, women and children or sold them into slavery. They leveled cities and burned crops so that everyone was afraid of Holophernes and his army.

The day came when the Assyrian army invaded the kingdom of Judah also and surrounded the city of Bethulia. Now the Jewish leaders did not know what to do. Some said that it was better to surrender rather than be killed. So they decided that if no one came to help after 5 days, they would surrender to the Assyrians.

Now there was a woman living in the same city by the name of Judith. Judith was a rich widow; a good woman who spent her days praying and fasting.

“and she was exceedingly beautiful and her husband left her great riches, and very many servants, and large possessions of herds of oxen, and flocks of sheep. And she was greatly renowned among all, because she feared the Lord very much, neither was there any one that spoke an ill word of her.” (Jud 8:7-8)

When Judith heard about the leader’s decision, she called them together and counseled them to trust in God. Then Judith prayed to God for courage and strength. She dressed up in her finest clothes and jewels and went out to the enemy’s camp.

When she got there, Judith asked to see the general, Holophernes. Holophernes was taken with Judith’s beauty so that he let her visit the camp and come and go as she pleased.

On the fourth day, Holophernes had a banquet, and invited Judith to come and eat with him, for he had fallen in love with her. Judith came and Holophernes drank much wine so that he became drunk and fell asleep.

All was dark and quiet. Holophernes was sleeping in his tent with only Judith and her maid for company. Judith sent her maid outside the tent to keep watch. Praying to God for courage, Judith took the sword of Holophernes and cut off his head. Then she hid his head in a basket and walked through the camp and back into the city.

When she got inside the walls of the city, Judith took the head of Holophernes out of the basket and showed it to the people, saying, “Behold the head of Holophernes…the Lord hath not suffered me his handmaid to be defiled…Give all of you glory to him, because He is good, because His mercy endureth forever.” (Jud 13)

“And Ozias the prince of the people of Israel, said to her: Blessed art thou, O daughter, by the Lord the most high God, above all women upon the earth. Blessed be the Lord who made heaven and earth…because he hath so magnified thy name this day, that thy praise shall not depart out of the mouth of men who shall be mindful of the power of the Lord forever..” (Jud 13)
Judith is a type of Our Lady in her victory over the enemy. As she was worthy of praise and blessing, so much so is Our Lady; the mother of God, who by her “fiat” brought the Savior to the world.

When the Assyrians found their general dead, they were seized with fear, and all ran away.

The Jews went to Jerusalem, to offer sacrifices in thanksgiving to God and there was a joyful celebration for 3 months. Judith never married again. She lived until the ripe old age of 105 and all that time, the Hebrew people lived in peace.

The O Antiphon for today is, “O Radix Jesse”

“O Root of Jesse, Who standest for an ensign of the people, before Whom kings shall keep silence, and to Whom the Gentiles shall pray: come to deliver us and tarry no more.”

Jesus is called “Root of Jesse” because His humanity came from Our Lady, who was from the line of King David, son of Jesse. The Jesse tree is Our Lord’s family tree!

The Catholic Church and the Rule of Law- Part II: Dr. John Lamont

+ JMJ This is the second article from Dr. Lamont from his lecture given in May 2014. P^3 Source Part A: Society of St. Hugh of Cluny Source Part B: Society of St. Hugh of Cluny 8 May2014 The Catholic Church and the Rule of Law- Part II By John Lamont To understand how the Jesuit conception of obedience departed from earlier conceptions, it is helpful to compare it with the teaching of St. Thomas on obedience. The fundamental difference between the two is that St. Thomas considers the proper object of obedience to be the precept of the superior (2a2ae q. 104 a. 2 co., ad 3). Obedience that seeks to forestall the expressed will of the superior does not bear on what the superior wants or thinks in general, but only on what the superior intends to command. St. Ignatius’s lowest degree of obedience, which he does not consider to be virtuous, is thus what St. Thomas considers to be the only form of obedience. St. Thomas holds that St. Ignatius’s alleged higher forms of o...

Open Letter to Cardinal Gantin - July 6, 1988

There has been some discussion (read lots) about the term 'Conciliar Church'. I have posted this letter written by the Superior General and District Superiors of the SSPX after the 1988 Consecrations. Of particular interest is that the 'Conciliar Church' being referred to as a system. My paraphrase would be that the SSPX regards the 'conciliar Church' as an error within the Church. Source Open Letter to Cardinal Gantin Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops

Morning and Evening and other sundry Prayers

+ JMJ Along the theme of P^3 (Prayer, Penance, Patience), and for my own reference ... here is a collection of Morning and Evening prayers from the Ideal Daily Missal along with some additional prayers. In this crisis of the Church, I do not think it is possible to do too much prayer, penance and have patience. P^3

Rome and the SSPX - Version 2026 Part 6b: Principles and Rules for Surviving this Crisis of the Catholic Church (Principle 1)

+ JMJ Principle 1: Realize that something is amiss in the Catholic Church The world in which I had my Traditional Awakening, is one in which practically anything pre-Conciliar such as liturgy, doctrinc, and even dogmas are either suppressed, ignored or re-framed to be acceptable to the ‘world’. What is more, the people adhering to these pre-conciliar teachings and liturgy are persecuted by other members of the Catholic Church. The things that non-Trads say about Trads can be quite extreme. For example, accusations against Traditionalists include that they are: A revival of the Jansenists (link) , Schismatics, Heretics, Uncharitable, Lefebrists Radicals Integrists When one group of Catholics is persecuted by the others for simply wanting to live as Catholics before them did for generations … well something is wrong. Further, we need to realize that when what was previously condemned is now promoted and what was previously promoted as the trut...

Forget the Reformation - It is time for Abrogation - Louie Verrecchio

Mr. Verrecchio has pointed out one solution to this crisis that is a dream of many Traditional Catholics of my acquaintance: The complete obliteration of the Novus Ordo Missae. If this were to occur, undoubtedly a revolt would occur within the Church, but the battle lines would be much clearer. I assume that a lot of material heretics would make the transition to being formal heretics. P^3 Prayer Penance Patience Courtesy of Louie Verrecchio A recent article by Fr. Thomas Kocik on the New Liturgical Movement website, Reforming the Irreformable? , is getting some well-deserved attention in traditional circles. (Do yourself a favor and read it in its entirety if you haven’t already.)

Tradicat

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